Lloyd Jefferson Go - WITB - 2024 Volvo China Open

[jick]

Lloyd Jefferson "Lj" Go is a Filipino professional golfer who is currently in a tear of sorts.

 

-In the last 9 weeks starting the end of March, he played and earned across 5 different tours where he had 2 wins (Philippine Golf Tour, China Golf Tour), a runner-up (Japan Abema Tour), 6th (DP World Tour), and 32nd (Japan Golf Tour)

-He got invited to the DP World Tour's Volvo China Open by virtue of his win in the China Golf Tour, and he took advantage by finishing 6th & winning $78,000 which is his personal biggest earning in a single tournament

-His OWGR as of this post is 667th, climbing up 500 spots after starting the year at 1166

-He finished college in Seton Hall University where he had a great run of sorts including winning the individual title in the Big East Championship

 

This is a bit of a late post of sharing his bag simply because it's only now he has returned home after playing that long run of tournaments abroad.  And I think I am proud to say that me - a proud and active Golfwrx member since 2005 - has been building his clubs since he was in high school.  So I am privy to all the specs and these photos were taken in my workshop where he brought his clubs after he arrived for some tlc.  These are the clubs he used in his incredible run the past two months.

 

DRIVER: Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* Tour Issue, Diamana ZF60 TX, plays at 45.625".  The rear weights are an 8 gram screw and 14 gram back weight.  The sleeve setting is 1 slot LOWER than Standard.  D7. 327 grams. Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

3-WOOD: Taylormade Qi10 Tour 3/15, Tour AD DI 7X, plays at 43.125".  Sleeve setting is standard.  D4.5.  338 grams.  Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

HYBRID:  Taylormade Steath 3/19,  Tour AD DI 95 X, plays at 41.125". D4.  375 grams.  MCC White grip.

 

4-IRON: Taylormade P760, 22* loft, 57.5* lie, C-Taper 125 S+, 38.625", D4, 421 grams. 317 cpm. MCC White grip.

 

5-IRON to PW: Taylormade P7MC 2020, stock lofts except PW, 3 degrees flat, C-Taper 130 X tipped & softstepped, 6-iron specs: 37.625", D4, 436 grams, 328 cpm. MCC White grip.

 

GW: Taylormade MG4 Black 50* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.5", D3, 469g, Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

SW: Taylormade MG4 Black 54* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.25", D5.5, 479g, Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

LW: Taylormade MG4 Satin 60* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.0", D4, 485g, Tour Velvet 360 grip, custom grind sole.

 

PUTTER:  Bettinardi Tour Stock Jam-W Flow Neck, fly-milled FIT Face, stainless steel.  3* loft, 70* lie, C-Taper shaft, 33.5", D8.5, 522grams, Iomic grip.

 

BALL:  Titleist ProV1 X

 

NOTES:  Driver specs don't match the rest of his set because he got it from the tour van to replace his Stealth and he just stuck in his old shaft but the Qi10LS head he got was heavy.... PW is 1.5* strong...  C-Taper iron shafts in 5-iron to PW were X but made to play closer to S+ which he has used his past two sets, the shafts were tipped and softstepped to compensate for his P7MC heads which had a shorter hosel bore depths and heavier head weights than "standard"...  LW sole has been custom grinded by my cousin ("burlygolfbuilds" in IG) following Lj's previous grinds which all came from a method taught to me by one of our country's golfing legends Frankie Minoza...  putter has a C-Taper shaft which is the shaft Bettinardi used for their 2016 BB Series models where Lj gamed the BB1F to much success during his college career

 

This is a bit of a long and details WITB post and I can even go longer: put more detailed specs, rant about the whys behind his choices, his preferences, his recent switches, clubs he is testing, clubs he plans to change and all that but I'll keep it until here.  I am not sure if there is much interest in a world #667 in this forum, but I guess compared to others - I am here to field any questions, and receive feedback on his set.

 

 

 

[Bdck]

You must be close, of sorts

[eric61]

Awesome details. I’d love to hear more about something you mentioned — clubs he’s testing/plans to change!

[MikeW2]

What a cool connection to have! Great looking set up.

[bmbsawy]

Great post!

[BigZoots]

15 hours ago, jick said:

Lloyd Jefferson "Lj" Go is a Filipino professional golfer who is currently in a tear of sorts.

 

-In the last 9 weeks starting the end of March, he played and earned across 5 different tours where he had 2 wins (Philippine Golf Tour, China Golf Tour), a runner-up (Japan Abema Tour), 6th (DP World Tour), and 32nd (Japan Golf Tour)

-He got invited to the DP World Tour's Volvo China Open by virtue of his win in the China Golf Tour, and he took advantage by finishing 6th & winning $78,000 which is his personal biggest earning in a single tournament

-His OWGR as of this post is 667th, climbing up 500 spots after starting the year at 1166

-He finished college in Seton Hall University where he had a great run of sorts including winning the individual title in the Big East Championship

 

This is a bit of a late post of sharing his bag simply because it's only now he has returned home after playing that long run of tournaments abroad.  And I think I am proud to say that me - a proud and active Golfwrx member since 2005 - has been building his clubs since he was in high school.  So I am privy to all the specs and these photos were taken in my workshop where he brought his clubs after he arrived for some tlc.  These are the clubs he used in his incredible run the past two months.

 

DRIVER: Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* Tour Issue, Diamana ZF60 TX, plays at 45.625".  The rear weights are an 8 gram screw and 14 gram back weight.  The sleeve setting is 1 slot LOWER than Standard.  D7. 327 grams. Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

3-WOOD: Taylormade Qi10 Tour 3/15, Tour AD DI 7X, plays at 43.125".  Sleeve setting is standard.  D4.5.  338 grams.  Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

HYBRID:  Taylormade Steath 3/19,  Tour AD DI 95 X, plays at 41.125". D4.  375 grams.  MCC White grip.

 

4-IRON: Taylormade P760, 22* loft, 57.5* lie, C-Taper 125 S+, 38.625", D4, 421 grams. 317 cpm. MCC White grip.

 

5-IRON to PW: Taylormade P7MC 2020, stock lofts except PW, 3 degrees flat, C-Taper 130 X tipped & softstepped, 6-iron specs: 37.625", D4, 436 grams, 328 cpm. MCC White grip.

 

GW: Taylormade MG4 Black 50* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.5", D3, 469g, Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

SW: Taylormade MG4 Black 54* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.25", D5.5, 479g, Tour Velvet 360 grip.

 

LW: Taylormade MG4 Satin 60* SB, 61* lie, DG X100 Tour Issue, 35.0", D4, 485g, Tour Velvet 360 grip, custom grind sole.

 

PUTTER:  Bettinardi Tour Stock Jam-W Flow Neck, fly-milled FIT Face, stainless steel.  3* loft, 70* lie, C-Taper shaft, 33.5", D8.5, 522grams, Iomic grip.

 

BALL:  Titleist ProV1 X

 

NOTES:  Driver specs don't match the rest of his set because he got it from the tour van to replace his Stealth and he just stuck in his old shaft but the Qi10LS head he got was heavy.... PW is 1.5* strong...  C-Taper iron shafts in 5-iron to PW were X but made to play closer to S+ which he has used his past two sets, the shafts were tipped and softstepped to compensate for his P7MC heads which had a shorter hosel bore depths and heavier head weights than "standard"...  LW sole has been custom grinded by my cousin ("burlygolfbuilds" in IG) following Lj's previous grinds which all came from a method taught to me by one of our country's golfing legends Frankie Minoza...  putter has a C-Taper shaft which is the shaft Bettinardi used for their 2016 BB Series models where Lj gamed the BB1F to much success during his college career

 

This is a bit of a long and details WITB post and I can even go longer: put more detailed specs, rant about the whys behind his choices, his preferences, his recent switches, clubs he is testing, clubs he plans to change and all that but I'll keep it until here.  I am not sure if there is much interest in a world #667 in this forum, but I guess compared to others - I am here to field any questions, and receive feedback on his set.

 

 

 

Awesome write up. 
 

What makes you say the driver doesn’t match the rest of the set? 

[jick]

5 hours ago, eric61 said:

Awesome details. I’d love to hear more about something you mentioned — clubs he’s testing/plans to change!

He is testing some utility irons for courses where he would need them instead of his Stealth hybrid.  And they are not Taylormade!  I will post pics of them soon, including the shafts.

 

I also just built him a Diamana WB63 TX because he had success with that shaft before it broke it transit.  He is back with a vengeance - with two WB shafts.  I digress, but for some reason, whenever he likes a shaft - I will cross match it to the measurements taken by Russ Ryden (golfshaftsreview dot info) and Lj always seems to like those that have good measurements.  He also tried so many Ventus models and never liked them - and they did not measure too well in Russ Ryden's measurements.   Lloyd does not check Russ Ryden's site and probably is not aware of it.  I just think he has impeccable feel because he has somewhat kept the same specs and preferences since he was a junior golfer.  The new WB shaft really measured well in Ryden's site (butt torque, tip torque, radial consistency).

 

Another club he is working on is a suitable backup putter.  He has had the same Bettinardi for 6 years now, although it was only late last year he did the shaft change.  He has been in close contact with the Bettinardi tour rep on possible backups.  I have even seen pictures of one candidate putter, but I am not sure if I can post it because I don't know if Lloyd approved it or wanted something else.

 

[jick]

2 hours ago, GSPeltSlinger said:

Awesome write up. 
 

What makes you say the driver doesn’t match the rest of the set? 

 

When he switched to Qi10 LS, he put in a WB 63 shaft that he liked.  But the shaft broke in the airport, so he had to stick back his old ZF which was really spec'd for his previous Stealth driver head. 

 

His driver has always been D3 to D5, and his golf set hovers around D4.  His drivers have also been 316 to 321 grams.  But the Qi10LS with the ZF combo he used in this most recent run of tournaments was D7 and 327 grams, and he was hitting it all over the place.

 

But I just built him a WB shaft to match his Qi10 LS driver, so we will see if he will game it in his next tournament.

[jick]

Thank you for showing interest, which I wasn't sure there would be for a relative unknown like Lloyd.  I guess there really are a lot of club junkies here.  I will indulge you all in more drivers detail.  He got two Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* heads from the tour rep and these are the specs which I will label A & B:

 

"A" (Heavy) head - 198 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight + 24 grams back weight (8 gram round screw, 14 grams triangle, 2 grams screw)

 

"B" (Light) head - 194 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight +10 grams back weight (2 gram round screw , 6 gram triangle, 2 gram screw) +10 grams internal hotmelt

 

Lloyd's gamer is the "A" head and the rep built a WB 63TX in the same length as his ZF shaft.  But just like the ZF, it came out to D7 and felt off to Lloyd, so that's why he continued using the ZF.  To be closer to Lloyd's swingweight, the rep gave him the lighter "B" head but Lloyd hit it too low and it sounded different.  It was only when it got to my workshop that I was able to tear it apart to its individual components and discovered the huge difference in internal weighing.

 

The "B" head was already 14 grams less in backweighing, which means less MOI and lower flight.  Then 10 of the missing 14 grams was added inside the head with hotmelt which presumably even made the CoG more forward and changed the sound.  Thus, it explains why Lloyd did not like the "B" head.  My guess is that the rep just picked whatever was in the drawing to hit the weight Lloyd was looking for, without much knowledge as to the internal weighing.  You have to remember, these are the smaller tours Lloyd is playing so the reps may not be that hands on with every detail or as knowledgeable as the PGA Tour reps.

 

Since Lloyd has expressed his preference for the WB 63TX shaft which he gamed briefly with the "A" head but could not remember the specs, he had me build another one that would hit his swingweight preference with the "A" head.  Hence, I built him a WB 63 TX, tipped 0.5", to a playing length of 45.125" at D4.5 swingweight with an MCC grip and 316 grams overall weight.  I literally just built it yesterday so the verdict is still out if he will put it in the bag.

 

On another interesting note, he said his irons needed a regrip.  He brought his usual MCC White grips which he got in Japan.  When I weighed them, they were right up to the normal light 47 to 48 gram stock weight of those grips (hint: the many counterfeits in the market weight 50 grams and above).  I also tested the white portion and confirmed it is indeed a softer compound.  So the grip was 100% authentic which he got from the proper channels when he was in the Japan Tour.  However, I was so surprised to find out that it was ribbed!  I never knew MCC White grips existed in ribbed, though I knew Japan market has always preferred ribbed grips.  So I guess these grips do exist.

 

His previous iron grips were so worn out that they needed a change.  The ribbed character of the grips is something that will be new to Lloyd and he will be trying to for the first time in the next tournament he tees it up.  I hope he does well with these grips and his irons are one of the strongest parts of his game, but these grips are a bit of new territory for him although the ribbing is very subtle.  

 

 

[theadvocate_ivan]

Jov, what is the toe hang of his putter?

[ilikegolf26]

11 hours ago, jick said:

 

When he switched to Qi10 LS, he put in a WB 63 shaft that he liked.  But the shaft broke in the airport, so he had to stick back his old ZF which was really spec'd for his previous Stealth driver head. 

 

His driver has always been D3 to D5, and his golf set hovers around D4.  His drivers have also been 316 to 321 grams.  But the Qi10LS with the ZF combo he used in this most recent run of tournaments was D7 and 327 grams, and he was hitting it all over the place.

 

But I just built him a WB shaft to match his Qi10 LS driver, so we will see if he will game it in his next tournament.

So the headweight was 6-11 grams more than he’s used to!? On the other end of that range is massive. 

[BigZoots]

9 hours ago, jick said:

Thank you for showing interest, which I wasn't sure there would be for a relative unknown like Lloyd.  I guess there really are a lot of club junkies here.  I will indulge you all in more drivers detail.  He got two Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* heads from the tour rep and these are the specs which I will label A & B:

 

"A" (Heavy) head - 198 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight + 24 grams back weight (8 gram round screw, 14 grams triangle, 2 grams screw)

 

"B" (Light) head - 194 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight +10 grams back weight (2 gram round screw , 6 gram triangle, 2 gram screw) +10 grams internal hotmelt

 

Lloyd's gamer is the "A" head and the rep built a WB 63TX in the same length as his ZF shaft.  But just like the ZF, it came out to D7 and felt off to Lloyd, so that's why he continued using the ZF.  To be closer to Lloyd's swingweight, the rep gave him the lighter "B" head but Lloyd hit it too low and it sounded different.  It was only when it got to my workshop that I was able to tear it apart to its individual components and discovered the huge difference in internal weighing.

 

The "B" head was already 14 grams less in backweighing, which means less MOI and lower flight.  Then 10 of the missing 14 grams was added inside the head with hotmelt which presumably even made the CoG more forward and changed the sound.  Thus, it explains why Lloyd did not like the "B" head.  My guess is that the rep just picked whatever was in the drawing to hit the weight Lloyd was looking for, without much knowledge as to the internal weighing.  You have to remember, these are the smaller tours Lloyd is playing so the reps may not be that hands on with every detail or as knowledgeable as the PGA Tour reps.

 

Since Lloyd has expressed his preference for the WB 63TX shaft which he gamed briefly with the "A" head but could not remember the specs, he had me build another one that would hit his swingweight preference with the "A" head.  Hence, I built him a WB 63 TX, tipped 0.5", to a playing length of 45.125" at D4.5 swingweight with an MCC grip and 316 grams overall weight.  I literally just built it yesterday so the verdict is still out if he will put it in the bag.

 

On another interesting note, he said his irons needed a regrip.  He brought his usual MCC White grips which he got in Japan.  When I weighed them, they were right up to the normal light 47 to 48 gram stock weight of those grips (hint: the many counterfeits in the market weight 50 grams and above).  I also tested the white portion and confirmed it is indeed a softer compound.  So the grip was 100% authentic which he got from the proper channels when he was in the Japan Tour.  However, I was so surprised to find out that it was ribbed!  I never knew MCC White grips existed in ribbed, though I knew Japan market has always preferred ribbed grips.  So I guess these grips do exist.

 

His previous iron grips were so worn out that they needed a change.  The ribbed character of the grips is something that will be new to Lloyd and he will be trying to for the first time in the next tournament he tees it up.  I hope he does well with these grips and his irons are one of the strongest parts of his game, but these grips are a bit of new territory for him although the ribbing is very subtle.  

 

 

Really cool stuff. You seem like the type of professional that can give guys like this the edge they need to break through. Thank you. 
 

[jick]

7 hours ago, theadvocate_ivan said:

Jov, what is the toe hang of his putter?

 

I never checked but should be similar to all other putters of this neck style.

[jick]

1 hour ago, ilikegolf26 said:

So the headweight was 6-11 grams more than he’s used to!? On the other end of that range is massive. 

 

I'm not sure how you got 11 grams. That is indeed massive and is not the case here. I'll try to give you all the computations which might help clarify.

 

The ZF was 45.625" while the newly asse,bled WB was 45.125". Generally, half an inch is 3 swingweight points so it's just about right that it changed from D7 to D4.5. 

 

The ZF60TX is 4 grams heavier than the WB63TX. The grip of the ZF is TV360 which is 3.5 grams heavier than the MCC on his WB. That's a net of 7.5 grams. Hence, the new build should be 327 grams minus 7.5 grams ..or 319.5 grams. Why did my scale register 316 grams? Well it could be manufacturing tolerance and the .5" less of material for the shorter weight.

 

The Qi10 LS "A" / Heavy head weighed 198 grams without the sleeve, so the complete deadweight would be 204 to 206 grams.  That same ZF shaft was previously used in a Stealth that previously played at D5. So since a swingweight point is around 2 to 3 grams, I'd imagine this Qi10LS is heavier than the previous Stealth deadweight by only 5 to 6 grams.

[ilikegolf26]

4 minutes ago, jick said:

 

I'm not sure how you got 11 grams. That is indeed massive and is not the case here. I'll try to give you all the computations which might help clarify.

 

The ZF was 45.625" while the newly asse,bled WB was 45.125". Generally, half an inch is 3 swingweight points so it's just about right that it changed from D7 to D4.5. 

 

The ZF60TX is 4 grams heavier than the WB63TX. The grip of the ZF is TV360 which is 3.5 grams heavier than the MCC on his WB. That's a net of 7.5 grams. Hence, the new build should be 327 grams minus 7.5 grams ..or 319.5 grams. Why did my scale register 316 grams? Well it could be manufacturing tolerance and the .5" less of material for the shorter weight.

 

The Qi10 LS "A" / Heavy head weighed 198 grams without the sleeve, so the complete deadweight would be 204 to 206 grams.  That same ZF shaft was previously used in a Stealth that previously played at D5. So since a swingweight point is around 2 to 3 grams, I'd imagine this Qi10LS is heavier than the previous Stealth deadweight by only 5 to 6 grams.

You stated “His drivers have also been 316 to 321 grams.  But the Qi10LS with the ZF combo he used in this most recent run of tournaments was D7 and 327 grams”

 

327-316 = 11g. I was assuming same shaft weight. 

Edited May 20, 2024 by ilikegolf26

[jick]

56 minutes ago, GSPeltSlinger said:

Really cool stuff. You seem like the type of professional that can give guys like this the edge they need to break through. Thank you. 
 

 

Thank you. I am a lawyer by profession so I hope that's what you meant by "professional." But you might be off if what you mean by "professional" is clubmaker. I am just a dedicated hobbyist for over two decades now but I only build my own clubs nowadays. I don't do this commercially or for other people. 

 

Lloyd is the only exception because I've been building clubs for him since he was a young teenager (he's 29 now) and have kept a database of his specs and preferences since then.

 

I am actually secretly waiting for the day that he'll tell me he doesn't need me to build him clubs anymore because the tour van will handle him. 

[jick]

31 minutes ago, ilikegolf26 said:

You stated “His drivers have also been 316 to 321 grams.  But the Qi10LS with the ZF combo he used in this most recent run of tournaments was D7 and 327 grams”

 

327-316 = 11g. I was assuming same shaft weight. 

Different lengths, shaft weights, and grip weights. 

[bmbsawy]

13 hours ago, jick said:

Thank you for showing interest, which I wasn't sure there would be for a relative unknown like Lloyd.  I guess there really are a lot of club junkies here.  I will indulge you all in more drivers detail.  He got two Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* heads from the tour rep and these are the specs which I will label A & B:

 

"A" (Heavy) head - 198 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight + 24 grams back weight (8 gram round screw, 14 grams triangle, 2 grams screw)

 

"B" (Light) head - 194 grams (without sleeve) - 18 gram sliding weight +10 grams back weight (2 gram round screw , 6 gram triangle, 2 gram screw) +10 grams internal hotmelt

 

Lloyd's gamer is the "A" head and the rep built a WB 63TX in the same length as his ZF shaft.  But just like the ZF, it came out to D7 and felt off to Lloyd, so that's why he continued using the ZF.  To be closer to Lloyd's swingweight, the rep gave him the lighter "B" head but Lloyd hit it too low and it sounded different.  It was only when it got to my workshop that I was able to tear it apart to its individual components and discovered the huge difference in internal weighing.

 

The "B" head was already 14 grams less in backweighing, which means less MOI and lower flight.  Then 10 of the missing 14 grams was added inside the head with hotmelt which presumably even made the CoG more forward and changed the sound.  Thus, it explains why Lloyd did not like the "B" head.  My guess is that the rep just picked whatever was in the drawing to hit the weight Lloyd was looking for, without much knowledge as to the internal weighing.  You have to remember, these are the smaller tours Lloyd is playing so the reps may not be that hands on with every detail or as knowledgeable as the PGA Tour reps.

 

Since Lloyd has expressed his preference for the WB 63TX shaft which he gamed briefly with the "A" head but could not remember the specs, he had me build another one that would hit his swingweight preference with the "A" head.  Hence, I built him a WB 63 TX, tipped 0.5", to a playing length of 45.125" at D4.5 swingweight with an MCC grip and 316 grams overall weight.  I literally just built it yesterday so the verdict is still out if he will put it in the bag.

 

On another interesting note, he said his irons needed a regrip.  He brought his usual MCC White grips which he got in Japan.  When I weighed them, they were right up to the normal light 47 to 48 gram stock weight of those grips (hint: the many counterfeits in the market weight 50 grams and above).  I also tested the white portion and confirmed it is indeed a softer compound.  So the grip was 100% authentic which he got from the proper channels when he was in the Japan Tour.  However, I was so surprised to find out that it was ribbed!  I never knew MCC White grips existed in ribbed, though I knew Japan market has always preferred ribbed grips.  So I guess these grips do exist.

 

His previous iron grips were so worn out that they needed a change.  The ribbed character of the grips is something that will be new to Lloyd and he will be trying to for the first time in the next tournament he tees it up.  I hope he does well with these grips and his irons are one of the strongest parts of his game, but these grips are a bit of new territory for him although the ribbing is very subtle.  

 

 

Editing for simplicity- what was tipping on original ZF? I don’t see that in the original post

Edited May 20, 2024 by bmbsawy

[jick]

13 hours ago, bmbsawy said:

Editing for simplicity- what was tipping on original ZF? I don’t see that in the original post

 

There was no tipping since he came from X flex in his previous shaft and was going to TX.

 

As seen in his iron shafts that are really a derivative of S+ flex, he does like a bit of play in his shaft and want to feel the kick.  He is a feel sort of player and doesn't like the boardy stuff.

 

The WB 63 TX was tipped half an inch simply because that's how he got it from the tour van and he liked it (until the shaft broke).  So when I assembled again for his the duplicate, I followed the tipping.

[jick]

He has also been testing and sometimes (very rarely) gaming the Titleist U500 to swap out with his Stealth hybrid. 

 

The T150 is just a new acquisition and still in the plastic and he has not even tested it yet.  It has a Modus 120X shaft.

 

He's had success with the KBS hybrid graphite shaft in the past but it was the 95 S setting.  He wants to go stiffer, but for some reason - or maybe some miscommunication - he got the 105 X.  He will also test it further and if it doesn't work, he will get a 95 X.

 

While he has been through and through a Taylormade guy, he has been open to trying new things and Titleist has been the most accommodating to him.  He has already switched from Under Armour shoes to Footjoys.  He has switched from Taylormade gloves to Footjoys.  And he recently got a Scotty Cameron Circle T putter that so far has not even made it as a backup so he doesn't even bring when he travels.  This season, he also switched from a Taylormade ball to Titleist.  But on the flip side, he has also switched from Under Armour apparel to Taylormade.

 

I guess when you are World #600 and don't get paid a single cent to use the equipment, the sponsors are a bit more lenient with no 14-club rule requirements and the other manufacturers are also trying to court you. 

[Valtiel]

On 5/19/2024 at 9:49 PM, jick said:

However, I was so surprised to find out that it was ribbed!  I never knew MCC White grips existed in ribbed, though I knew Japan market has always preferred ribbed grips.  So I guess these grips do exist.

Very cool posts and details, as a fellow club nerd that builds lots of stuff I appreciate the insight and level of detail. The grips you mentioned here I believe are the same ones that Rory uses, and he has a history of occasionally using JDM specific equipment. Another one is that damned Golf Pride D100 Sand Cord grip which seems to be Chinese/Korean market mainly and is also ribbed that I can't find anywhere! 

Any reason he plays the Tour Velvet 360 on the woods and MCC in the irons, other than for adjustment orientation purposes?

[jick]

On 5/21/2024 at 4:11 PM, Valtiel said:

Very cool posts and details, as a fellow club nerd that builds lots of stuff I appreciate the insight and level of detail. The grips you mentioned here I believe are the same ones that Rory uses, and he has a history of occasionally using JDM specific equipment. Another one is that damned Golf Pride D100 Sand Cord grip which seems to be Chinese/Korean market mainly and is also ribbed that I can't find anywhere! 

Any reason he plays the Tour Velvet 360 on the woods and MCC in the irons, other than for adjustment orientation purposes?

 

Thank you for the nice words.

 

I am not sure if Rory is using ribbed grips, but then again there must be something to it.  MCC grips have been around for nearly two decades now but something must have compelled Golf Pride to make the MCC Align series which is fairly recent.  Maybe something from the Japan market.  However, Lloyd prefers the original MCC's maybe because of the weight (47-48grams versus the 50-52 grams of the newer ones).  He has been using the same model of MCC grips for over 10 years now.

 

As for the Tour Velvet 360 in the woods, it has nothing to do with adjustment purposes.  Ever since he got into TM - starting with the M1 driver era - he has always played it at one rotation clockwise from standard towards the lower.  It's not because of the launch monitor numbers, but because it suits his eye.  So I always install his shafts and grips aligned to his favorite setting.

 

The strongest part of his game is his iron play.  While it is really because of his swing, I also believe he eliminated a lot of variables and got to groove that swing very well because he always stuck to the same specs:  C-Taper shafts for 8 years now,  New Decade MCC grips for over 10 years, and virtually same length and flat lie angle.

 

Weird enough, he is not that particular with grips in his wedges.  He just plays the stock grips as his wedges are just standard OTR.  What he does is just have a grind on the 60.  However, the MG4 wedges came with a lighter shaft OTR Asian market spec - so I reshafted his wedges to tour issue DG X100's - something new for him as he has usually played S300's.  And I just saved and re-used the stock grip.  He is not "MCC sensitive" in his wedges or woods - not sure why.  Another quirk is that now is the first time that his wedges play stiffer (X100) than his irons (X but playing closer to S+).

 

 

 

 

[jick]

I have an update to share.  Lloyd is gaming the new driver I built for him.  It is a whirlwind week.

 

He arrived last Tuesday from Japan after a 32nd place finish in the Japan Golf Tour.  He asked me to regrips his clubs but since I was busy Thursday and Friday, I only got to it on Saturday.  On that evening, he calls me also about building his driver.  He picks it up on Sunday and leaves for Manila on Monday to play the Philippine Golf Tour.

 

He only gets to practice the driver with the new shaft on Monday and Tuesday.  Well, today (Wednesday) is the first day of the Philippine Masters where Lloyd gamed the driver and is tied for 4th.  You can check the tournament scoring in this link:

 

https://pgt.eventcaptain.org/

 

Anyway, this is his new driver setup:

 

DRIVER: Taylormade Qi10 LS 9* Tour Issue, Diamana BW 63 TX tipped 0.5", plays at 45.125". The rear weights are an 8 gram screw and 14 gram back weight.  The sleeve setting is 1 rotation towards LOWER from Standard.  D4.5. 316 grams. GP New Decade MCC grip.

 

I have also shared this thread to the Bettinardis and they were so happy to read all about Lloyd, as he has been playing a Bettinardi putter since 2009.  But if they are still follow this thread, this might make them uneasy - but really it won't.  This is a putter Lloyd got from the Japan Tour rep because he wants a wide-body heel-toe blade.  After all his current putter is a JAM-Wide.  So this is Scotty Cameron's wide putter handed to Lloyd.  I'm sharing this pic because I think there are some Cameron fans out here, and quite frankly, this was my first time to actually hold a "Circle T" putter.  It arrived at 34" but I cut it short to Lloyd's preferred 33.5".  I changed the color of the sight dot from white to red.   But it still was not good enough to make Lloyd's traveling set because it was the wrong neck - plumbers' instead of Lloyd's preferred flow neck or slant.  The rep said he did not have those necks on hand but still wanted Lloyd to get this plumber's model because he probably felt Lloyd would warm up to it.  But he did not.

 

I also took some "beauty pics" of this putter from all angles if anyone is interested.  

 

 

[phizzy30]

On 5/19/2024 at 6:31 PM, jick said:

He is testing some utility irons for courses where he would need them instead of his Stealth hybrid.  And they are not Taylormade!  I will post pics of them soon, including the shafts.

 

I also just built him a Diamana WB63 TX because he had success with that shaft before it broke it transit.  He is back with a vengeance - with two WB shafts.  I digress, but for some reason, whenever he likes a shaft - I will cross match it to the measurements taken by Russ Ryden (golfshaftsreview dot info) and Lj always seems to like those that have good measurements.  He also tried so many Ventus models and never liked them - and they did not measure too well in Russ Ryden's measurements.   Lloyd does not check Russ Ryden's site and probably is not aware of it.  I just think he has impeccable feel because he has somewhat kept the same specs and preferences since he was a junior golfer.  The new WB shaft really measured well in Ryden's site (butt torque, tip torque, radial consistency).

 

Another club he is working on is a suitable backup putter.  He has had the same Bettinardi for 6 years now, although it was only late last year he did the shaft change.  He has been in close contact with the Bettinardi tour rep on possible backups.  I have even seen pictures of one candidate putter, but I am not sure if I can post it because I don't know if Lloyd approved it or wanted something else.

 

My builder told me that 4th and 5th gen Diamana shafts have very tight tolerances.  The only other company that has even tighter tolerances is TPT but that's because their shafts are machine rolled. 

[jick]

12 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

My builder told me that 4th and 5th gen Diamana shafts have very tight tolerances.  The only other company that has even tighter tolerances is TPT but that's because their shafts are machine rolled. 

 

Diamana is Mitsubishi's branding for their top-of-the-line shafts and that has been consistent in its life cycle.  There is a revolving door of other product names that Mitsubishi floats around and even offers to OEM's as "no upcharge" shafts:  Fubuki, Tensei, Kuro Kage, Kaili, etc. 

 

Mitsubishi, at least in Japan, is also vertically integrated and the raw materials for the shafts come from them.  So there was a time they used to supply Fujikura, but had a bit of a falling off years back (2015-ish?) - so there was a version/series of the Speeder Evolution that was of lesser quality than the prior and subsequent generations, I forgot which one.  I am not sure how that story resolved - if Fujikura found a new supplier or they mended ties.  So Mitsubishi has always had the best raw materials for their shafts, especially their high end lines that are made in Japan.

 

I am not so sure about the US versions because Mitsubishi and Aldila are the same company in that side of the world.

[jick]

I am not sure if anyone is interested.  This is Lloyd's Scotty Cameron Circle T.  I just had to take "beauty shots" (thanks Sony RX100 camera!) of this because this is the first time I have really held a Circle T putter up close and then did some work (cut/change paintfill) to it.  But the Bettinardi crew need not worry, Lloyd is not even remotely close to gaming / testing this despite my modifications because it has the wrong neck and offset.  But the Cameron people (and the Bettinardi crew for that matter) both assure that they are working on a backup putter for him.  We'll see!

 

 

[jick]

I haven't seen him in weeks as he played in China Tour then three straight in Japan's Abema Tour before he heads home. He sent me these pictures of the stuff he just received from Bettinardi Golf, as he's been playing their putter.

[Golfingfanatic]

Thanks for the continuous updates!

[hwwong]

This might be the single greatest WITB post ever.  Excellent job documenting all this info.  I am absolutely nerding out.

[jick]

On 6/18/2024 at 9:06 AM, hwwong said:

This might be the single greatest WITB post ever.  Excellent job documenting all this info.  I am absolutely nerding out.

Thanks so much.

 

If you look elsewhere in this forum, the is the upcoming Taylormade P7 CB irons. Those will come out later this year and I'll be building him that set.

 

I'll also keep this thread updated on the backup putter Bettinardi Golf is building for him. He also got another flow neck putter from another manufacturer who is hoping he will like that one. I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to post the pics he shared to me, but when he returns home from tour next week, I'll try to take pics and get the specs myself.